MotoGP Valencia: Rossi 'never comfortable' on 2017 Yamaha

Valentino Rossi open to re-testing 2016 M1 next week, but agrees with Lin Jarvis that this season was not a diaster for Yamaha.

After another tough day for the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP team in low grip conditions at Valencia, Valentino Rossi confirmed he has never felt comfortable on the 2017 M1 and is open to the idea of re-testing the 2016 bike, perhaps as early as next week.

Rossi qualified seventh (+0.951s) for the season finale, with team-mate Maverick Vinales barely able to conceal his immense frustration at managing only 13th on the grid.

"Maybe I'm less frustrated because I already know this from before!" said Rossi.

"At the end, with this bike I never feel comfortable from the first test. Sincerely we try, we try, we try a lot of different things.

"Sometimes we saw a small light at the end of the tunnel. But here in this track it is difficult. Looks like we suffer very much. Also when you ride the motorcycle, you don't have enough confidence to push at 100%.

"It is important to understand very quickly to try to make another way for next year's bike and we spoke a lot with the Japanese. It looks like the situation now is clear also for them and I hope that we can make better for next year.

"But anyway we will try tomorrow, because like always tyre choice will be very important and if we are able to improve a little bit maybe we can do a not so bad race."

The Factory Yamaha team's woes - which have occured on low-grip dry asphalt and any wet conditions, despite numerous chassis changes - have been in stark contrast to the performances of Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rookie Johann Zarco on last year's M1.

That was again the case at Valencia on Saturday, when the flying Frenchman claimed a front row start, behind only Honda's world championship leader Marc Marquez.

It was also pointed out that Jorge Lorenzo's 2016 Yamaha pole time would have again been good enough for the top spot on this year's grid. Rossi meanwhile set a 1m 30.128s for third last year, but only a 1m 30.848s today. The qualifying track temperature was exactly the same, 26 degrees, this year and last.

Rossi confirmed that re-testing the 2016 Yamaha is 'not a bad idea' but isn't sure if it will be possible as early as next week.

"We will speak about the [Valencia] test after the race… For me it is not a bad idea to try [the 2016 bike]. Why not? I don't know if it will be possible to test here, but can be."

However Rossi made clear he doesn't view the season as a disaster, backing up the comments of Yamaha Racing manager Lin Jarvis on Friday.

"You can see the glass half-full or half-empty. I agree with Lin because anyway four victories for Yamaha, a lot of podiums, some double podiums, Maverick third in the championship and me fourth or fifth, I hope fourth…

"But sincerely, I think that our potential is a lot better. So I understand Lin, but for me personally it was not a great season and we can do better."

Turning to tomorrow's season finale, in which he will seek to protect a 12-point advantage over Dani Pedrosa for fourth in the world championship, Rossi declared:

"At the end seventh position is not too bad. The bigger problem is our pace, because the race will be very long and also I think tough, because our pace is nothing fantastic, so we have to fight a lot.

"But this is Saturday, we have another chance in the morning and we will try to work tonight and improve a little bit."

Asked how he feels about aggressive racers Zarco and Suzuki's Andrea Iannone starting on the front row, Rossi replied:

"I think that Iannone and Zarco are the guys that brake deepest at the first corner of a race. Sometimes I saw where they brake and I say, 'now for sure something will happen'. But at the end they are always able to make the corner!

"But anyway, also Marquez is a guy who - like you saw in Malaysia - brakes late at the first corner."